Spotted the Amazing Race team filming in Edinburgh, Scotland yesterday. Asked them what was going on, they told me they were guarding a Christmas tree!

Here was a reply from a friend that asked what they saw:

Saw one contestant in a post office getting directions, definitely American, saw the 'clue tags' pinned to a post in the Royal Mile and spotted the camera crew chasing a contestant down the street near the National Museum. We don't have this show in the UK but I saw it won an Emmy and started to follow the current series online and now I'm hooked.

Long time lurker on the board but now I finally have something to post/add to the conversation. I'm a huge Amazing Race fan and, when hearing here that DC was the final destination city, I took an extra hour for lunch from work in DC and checked out the filming in and around town.

Amazing experience, and topped it off with being right next to clue box while teams ran into a challenge at Nationals Park and spotted Phil leaving for a standup/shoot.

Quick summary:-Saw four teams, including hockey players (who seemed to be slowly going about things from the challenge to their cab, which makes me think they were decoys..more below), pink female/female (from my glimpse, Elizabeth and Mona, who were in a rush at the Roadblock and hailing a cab) and the male/female (the team discussed as maybe Jaclyn and Jarrod, hurting to hail a cab along the Tidal Basin) as well as a female pink team (I think from posts it would be Jennifer Wayne, who seemed to be taking her time talking to the camera crew during the Roadblock)

-Roadblock: Teams raced from previous location (unknown to me, but rumored to be downtown/Old Post Office Pavilion) to Tidal Basin for Switchback of the Family Edition DC Roadblock in that they had to find a spie amongst 100s around the Basin to whisper a phrase and exchange briefcases. Teams ran into the Jefferson Memorial and then team member ran to find their spy. I counted/encountered about 150 spies wandering the Basin, and saw the pink team rush out with camera in toe to find their spie. I have one picture of the lone pink team being filmed, but they again seemed to be taking their time with production and not racing. After circling around, Mona and Elizabeth were trying hard to hail a cab in the worst spot along the Basin to catch one (and didn't hear me offering to help from my car) and about 10 feet away Jaclyn/Jarod were trying hard as well. Seemed these two teams were in a dead heat and trying in the same spot for cabs and were holding clue envelopes. This location was not too tourist filled, but there was a large contingent of production cars, tents and crew along with circling helicopter. Additionally, passed a few towncars that had race flags on the front bumpers like flags that are usually utilized by cars carrying diplomats (think the motorcade and the little flags on the front ends of the hood). Not sure if this was the transportation from Dulles to Roadblock or from elsewhere.

-Nats Park (either a Detour or challenge task): I saw Phil here early on walking to production cars to head out. Setup, with crew members, were rigging leading from outfield plaza in left center to the top of the highest point of park across the outfield above first base. From my two vantage points (I have a few pictures), teams started in the plaza and had to work their way up (by winch, hand crank, I don't know) up to the top, get a clue and then exited front of park. After seeing the Roadblock, I came back to Nats Park and clue box was set up at main gate and the hockey team ran out slowly, carrying their briefcase and leaving their camer and sound guy far behind, to their cab and hopped in to head out. One of them commented "It was snug in that thing". Again, they were running slow but they were the only team there at that time, and I knew that the other two teams were still back at the Roadblock. Perhaps they knew they had a lead? Production car followed them out of the park and onto the next destination.

I didn't hear any clues as to finish line, but from the earlier tweet, and time of year, Mt. Vernon Estate (George Washington's home and estate) would fit perfectly, as it's secluded, down an access road and usually quiet this time of year.

I have multiple pictures on my phone (some good, some not great due to trying to shoot pictures and driving) that I can't upload until I get home (or Peach, can you pull from my Twitter or if I post to facebook?). Needless to say, it was awesome seeing this in action.

Nice job....man, I live so close to Nationals Park and had I known (and I admit, I hadn't checked this board in months), I would have took today off and played around in DC. I drove by Nationals Park late afternoon, there were a bunch of seats covered up but that is all I could see for certain. The way the stadium is designed, you can see some things but nothing on the field without being inside the stadium. There is a garage next to the stadium but that was gated off (that would have been the best vantage point because of how high it is). Funny how they used the Tidal Basin (it's about 50 degrees in DC today) for a task from the family edition too. The clue box would have been cool to see.

-Roadblock: Switchback of the Family Edition DC Roadblock in that they had to find a spie amongst 100s around the Basin to whisper a phrase and exchange briefcases. Teams ran into the Jefferson Memorial and then team member ran to find their spy. I counted/encountered about 150 spies wandering the Basin, and saw the pink team rush out with camera in toe to find their spie.

In honour of your on-the-ground effort to stalk teams in DC, I would love to add/support the evidence by posting the picture of some spy agents that were seen in Tidal Basin :

Posted on:4.50 am 12/8/2012 (note: melbourne time, as always )

Secret service sniped. secret-service washington dc

Image courtesy and copyright of:@avasuppelsa

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